The " I need a break from studying " Pie

Have you ever studied so much it started to get to your nerves? So you turn to cooking... and the sound you make when slicing the apples with a sense of determination slowly gives you a sense of calm?

Well, meet apple pie with a twist.

Crust:
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1 cup whole wheat floor
1 cup white flour
1/4 ice cold lime mineral water ( yes lime)
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Combine until the  crumbly dough barely sticks together, press it into the pie pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling

Filling:
2 small granny smith apples
3 pink lady apples
1/3 cup brown sugar, unpacked
1 tsp vanilla
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 pinch cinnamon
2 tbsp orange juice

See the bears eying the pie. You know they want some.

( Sadly, I had to take a picture of the pie after it was refrigerated, so it doesnt look as amazing )

EDIT: As one of my readers kindly pointed out, I didn't specify the cooking temperature etc on the original post. It can now be found in my comments suggestion. Though my advice remains: you know your kitchen appliances the best and can probably determine the ideal temperature/time based on the other goodies you have made. What worked for me, may not work for you. Either way, the aroma of a baked item wafting through the home is usually a good sign ;)

Tis the Season...

...To be stressed with finals, catch a cold, and deal with it all by drinking a plethora of ginger tea and baking of course!

My insipiration for my "brownie pie" came from Sook's recipe for Cocoa brownie's.  You don't need to bother with melting chocolate and all that mess, really!  I have to admit, I did modify the recipe a bit. For example, instead of 1 cup of sugar i used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup regular sugar. The biggest difference is that I added the leftover filling from my Gooey Pumpkin Cupcakes to the batter. I figured it would only add more flavor and moistness, though I am sure the recipe would have turned out just fine without it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/3 cup white flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup Ghiradelli cocoa

( I had some white chocolate chips laying around so those were folded in at the end, along with 1.5 handfulls of chopped walnuts)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Then in a smaller bowl combine the baking powder, flour, and cocoa. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Finally, fold in any additional surprises (walnuts, white chocolate etc).

 

  Bake for 30 minutes at 350F in a pie pan.... Psssst... the topping isnt whipped cream. Do you know what it is?

It's Fage 0% Greek Yogurt !!

Holidays in full swing

The Christmas tree is officially up and dazzling... Our ornament from 2007 graces the top of the tree and the bow holds the spot for a future star.


With finals looming in the weeks ahead my cooking schedule and diet have changed considerable – for better or worse.  The passion to create edible creations is going to have to be on the backburner for a couple weeks.

Yesterday, while I was studying at Starbuck’s the barista was kind enough to give the customers a sample of their new Caramel Brulee Frappacino which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Today I found myself at Starbuck’s again. Something about the environment makes me productive. Reminiscing about the sample from yesterday, I chose to order the warm version -- the Caramel Brulee Latte.  Unfortunately, it was not as pleasant of an experience. I think it was a little too much brulee and not enough caramel.  I think I will be sticking to the tried and true peppermint mocha for now.

Have you tried any new drinks at Starbucks lately? What do you think?